Oil filler and breather tube



Aug. 7, 195 6 F. F. KISHLINE OIL FILLER AND BREATHER TUBE Filed Feb. 2, 1953 INVENTOR. FLOU F K/SHL NVE United States Patent OIL FILLER AND BREATHER TUBE Floyd F. Kishline, Kenosha, Wis., assignor to American Motors Corporation, a corporation of Maryland Application February 2, 1953, Serial No. 334,405 Claims. (Cl. 121-194) This invention relates to an oil breather and filler tube construction and more particularly to oil filler and breather tube which is used in conjunction with an internal combustion engine to provide an inlet for motor oil and to hold a gauge for measuring the level of said oil in a reservoir contained in said engine.

It is an object of this invention to provide an oil filler and breather tube which is mounted on the engine in the final assembly after mounting the engine in the usual position under th hood of a motor vehicle unlike the standard practice heretofore carried on whereby the oil filler and breather tube was mounted on the engine prior to final assembly in view of the general nature of construction or assembly. The standard practice demanded a forceful and permanent mounting of said tube. This latter arrangement demanded that the tube be mounted on the engine prior to lowering said engine into supporting position.

It is another object of this invention to provide an oil filler and breather tube including a cup-shaped retainer encircling said tube adjacent one end and containing in said cup an enlarged rubber sleeve also encircling said tube and which may be pushed down into a counterbore formed in the top wall of an oil reservoir forming there- ,by a seal for said tube and at the same time a temporary support for said tube. A holding bracket is mounted adjacent the other end of the tube for retaining the tube in such sealed condition. When, if occasion arises, the tube should be taken out for any particular purpose, such removal is effected without undue labor or elfort. It will also be seen that such tube is mounted with a minimum of eifort.

I am aware of the various constructions heretofore used with respect to mounting oil filler and breather tubes in an internal combustion engine. Under the circumstances it will be manifest that it is my chief aim to generally improve upon prior structures of the general type by providing an arrangement characterized by appreciable refinements and structural improvements.

With my arrangement a great deal of time, labor, and loss due to damage is avoided. There is no opportunity of the tube interfering or getting in the way of workers lowering the engine on its supports under the hood. Previously, the protruding tube could be bent and it did present an obstruction causing interference and a source of irritation in the final assembling. With my invention, the tube may readily be attached at any suitable time.

The several objects, advantages and novel details of construction of the invention will be made more apparent as this description proceeds, especially when considered. in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is detailed perspective view partially in crosssection illustrating my invention mounted relative to an internal combustion engine.

Figure 2 is a detail cross-sectional view of the retainer cup.

Figure 3 is a detail sectional view of the rubber seal.

2,757,647 Patented Aug. 7, 1956 Referring now more particularly to the drawings wherein like reference characters indicate like parts, it will be noted that there is illustrated, fragmentarily, the cylinder block 10 and attached thereto an exhaust pipe holding bracket 11. The bracket 11 is secured to said block by any suitable stud 12 and fastening elements 13. A bracket 14, having one end formed in the shape of a loop, is mounted on one of the stud elements as designated' by the numeral 12a and is held thereon by one of said fastening elements. The free or looped end projects outwardly from the cylinder block and is usedto support the upper end of the oil filter and breather tube 15, as will be described hereinafter.

The tube 15 comprises an elongated cylinder of substantial diameter, open at both ends with the top end normally closed by a removable cap or cover 16 which ordinarily mounts an oil gauge 16a, disposed within said tube, with its free end normally extending beyond the lower end of the tube down into the oil contained within the reservoir or pan 17 mounted beneath the cylinder block 10. The bottom end of the tube extends through an opening 18, which is counterbored at 19 and forms an integral part of the cylinder block 10.

A cup-shaped retainer 20 encircles the tube adjacent the bottom end of the tube with a circular flange 21, forming the top of the retainer, snugly engaging the outer wall of the tube and secured thereto in any suitable manner such as by welding.

Nesting within the walls of the cup 22 of the retainer 20 is one end of a rubber sleeve 23 which also encircles the tube. A substantial portion of this sleeve 23 projects beyond the bottom edge of the cup and butts against the circumferential wall of the counterbore 19 throughout its entire circumferential extent.

As axial pressure is applied at the upper end of the tube in pushing it downwardly into the opening 18, the unyielding flange 22 of the retainer 20 exerts pressure axially against the rubber sleeve 23 thereby causing distortion of the rubber sleeve so that it bulges out and fills the counterbore 19. With this action an effective seal is effected between the retainer, the tube, the distorted rubber cylinder and the counterbore wall, the downward axial pressure on the tube being maintained permanently when the clamp 14 is fastened to the stud 12 and held thereunto by means of the nut 130, it being understood that the looped end of the bracket 14 is secured to the outside surface of the filler tube in any suitable manner such as by being welded thereto.

It is thought that the construction, manipulation, utility, and advantages of this invention will now be apparent to those skilled in this art without a more detailed description thereof.

The present embodiment of the invention has been described in considerable detail merely for the purpose of exemplification since in actual practice it attains the features of the invention and the above description.

It will be apparent that changes in the details of construction, and in the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention ashereinafter claimed or sacrificing any of its advantages.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim is:

1. In combination an oil filler and breather tube assembly for an automotive vehicle comprising: a motor block having an opening to the atmosphere; an oil reservoir adjacent said block; a filler tube having one end normally positioned in the block opening; a retainer mounted on said tube; a resilient member encircling the tube andbeing partially enclosed in said retainer and arranged to bulge out under pressure whereby to form a snug fit between the said opening and the adjacent surface of said tube and means secured to the tube and connected to the block for maintaining tension on the tube where by to exert continuous pressure on the resilient member to maintain same in its bulged out condition.

2. In combination an oil filler and breather tube assembly for an automotive vehicle comprising: a motor block having an counterbored opening; an oil reservoir adjacent said block; a fillter tube; one end of said tube normally extending into the counterbored opening; a cup-shaped retainer enclosing a portion of the outer surface of said tube; a rubber cylinder enclosing a portion of said tube and having one end nesting within said retainer; the other end of said cylinder arranged to bulge out and fill the counterbored opening upon downward movement of said tube into said opening and clamping means secured to the tube and removably secured to the block for holding the tube under tension in the downwardly moved position whereby continuous pressure is exerted on the rubber cylinder for maintaining same in its bulged out condition.

3. In combination an oil filler and breather tube assembly for temporary mounting in the cylinder block of an internal combustion engine including a tube of substantial length open at both ends; a cover; a gauge attached thereto, said cover and gauge being removably mounted and arranged to cover one tube end, the other end normally mounted and associataed with an oil reservoir secured to said cylinder block, a cup-shaped re tainer telescopically positioned on and secured to said tube adjacent said last mentioned end; a rubber cylinder enclosing a portion of said tube and associated with said retainer, said retainer arranged to exert pressure against the cylinder and deform same against said block upon downward movement of said tube into said reservoir and clamping means secured to the tube and connected to the block for holding the tube under tension whereby to exert continuous pressure on the rubber cylinder for maintaining same in its deformed condition.

4. In combination an oil filler and breather tube assernbly comprising a cylinder block and an oil reservoir beneath and associated with said block, an elongated passageway formed in said block, one end of said passageway communicating with said reservoir, the other end receiving one end of said filler tube, said passageway enlarged adjacent said filler tube, a cup-shaped metal retainer secured to said filler tube adjacent said end received in said passageway, a rubber cylinder encircling said tube one end nesting within said retainer, the other end arranged within said passageway enlargement, said cylinder forming a bulge and filling said passage enlargement upon movement of said tube into said passageway, a bracket mounted on said block adjacent the other end of said tube having a looped end for enclosing a portion of said tube and secured to said tube upon mounting one end of said tube within said passageway.

5. In combination a fluid storage reservoir having an opening to the atmosphere; a support associated with and adjacent to the reservoir; a fluid reception tube open at both ends and having one end received within the opening; an annular seal formed of deformable material and telescopically positioned on the tube in a normally non-deformed condition; a retainer fixed to and exteriorly of the tube for engaging the annnular seal and deforming same against the reservoir at the perimeter of the opening when the tube is moved in a direction axially thereof into the reservoir opening; and clamping means fixed to the tube and connected to the support whereby to hold the tube under axial tension for exerting continuous pressure by the retainer on the annular seal, thereby deforming the seal into sealing engagement with the tube and the reservoir at the opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,351,338 Magee Aug. 31, 1920 1,428,161 Gosnell Sept. 5, 1922 1,490,186 Rowe Apr. 15, 1924 1,654,474 Wolter Dec. 27, 1927 1,658,774 Taub Feb. 7, 1928 1,923,504 Raymond Aug. 22, 1933 

